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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27774328">Stranger Things and Small Truths</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/WAluigipants/pseuds/WAluigipants'>WAluigipants</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Stranger Things (TV 2016), The Borrowers - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, G/T, Gen, Giant/Tiny, Mild Blood, Mild Language, TV-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 23:46:41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,917</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27774328</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/WAluigipants/pseuds/WAluigipants</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After the Byers install a grandfather clock in their household, Will and Eleven accuse each other of stealing things from each other’s rooms until they make a surprising discovery with familiar faces.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Will’s Perspective</strong>
</p>
<hr/><p>Something was lurking beyond the door. Thump. Thump, thump... A murmur. A whisper.</p><p>It was nearly midnight. Everyone else in the house was asleep—but something was here. I didn't get the same feeling I did when the Upside Down or the Mind Flayer were around... that feeling that crept up the back of my head.</p><p>The door was locked—but I heard the lock undo itself and the door slowly creak open. Peeking out from my covered, I looked up, only to find my housemate Eleven instead of a horrifying monster.</p><p>“You can turn on the lights. What are you doing up this late, El? And how did you open the door?”</p><p>El turned on the lights and walked over to my bed, and held up a book that I hadn’t seen a while.</p><p>“Can’t sleep. Can you read?” El said as she held up the book in front of her.</p><p>“You wake me up for a bedtime story? Seriously, how did you open my door?” I let out a quiet yawn, taking the book and looking it over. “The last time I read this was back when I was ten. Dustin gave it to me for my birthday,” I added. This book... <em>The Borrowers </em>was something I hadn’t read in years.</p><p>“My powers are coming back. They’re not very strong. Weak.... What is the book about?”</p><p>“You know how sometimes things go missing around the house? Little things like batteries, shirt buttons, thimbles, bits of sugar?”</p><p>“Yes?”</p><p>“What if there were tiny people hidden in this house... that you didn’t know were there? Tiny people using the things we miss and forget to survive?”</p><p>“Is it real?”</p><p>“I used to think it was, until Dustin proved me wrong a couple weeks after reading. I thought there were borrowers at his house, but he just showed me dirt and trash under his floorboards. Said he tended to find things he lost after a week or fallen under dressers or his bed,” I joked. Those were fun days. As I started reading, El closed her eyes. Her imagination was taking her places, judging from her smile.</p><p>A couple chapters in, I found El half asleep, and looked to the alarm clock by my bed. The current time made me bite my lip. 1:26. Tomorrow wasn’t a school day, but I wasn’t someone who liked staying up late.</p><p>“El? I think you should get to bed. I’ll read more to you tomorrow if you want, but I have homework to work on in the morning.”</p>
<hr/><p><strong>Eleven’s</strong> Perspective</p>
<hr/><p>What a story.</p><p>It definitely fantasy, but some of it felt real, and maybe possible. This Arrietty character felt a lot like herself. Trapped, cooped up, hidden, and unable to make friends. And once she did, it changed her life a ton.</p><p>“—in the morning.”</p><p>“Didn’t hear you... almost falling asleep. What did you say?” I asked.</p><p>“You need to get to bed, El. It’s nearly one-thirty in the morning. I have to study tomorrow,” Will said, putting the book on his dresser and getting ready to go back to sleep.</p><p>“Good night, Will,” I said with a yawn as I took the book and went to my room.</p><p> </p><p>Borrowers. Were they real? With my powers slowly coming back, it could be possible. Once I was lying down in bed, I closed my eyes and tried to enter the void again. The dim blackness... and there I heard a voice and some snoring.</p><p>I couldn’t see much. Not all of my power had come back. <br/>
I could see Will sleeping, Will’s mom in the other room, and Jonathan as well... and I focused harder. Appearing around me were the walls of my room. As I walked toward a wall, the voice I heard got a little louder. There was a voice in the wall.</p><p>Taking a deep breath, I focused on what the voice seemed to be saying...</p><p>“Good evening.”</p><p>“Were you seen?” Another voice.</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“But what even brings you here? You usually work outdoors, don’t you?”</p><p>“It’s been windy. Heavy rain, too.”</p><p>It had been raining the last couple of days... that was true.</p><p>“So what you’re saying is...”</p><p>“I’d like to spend a few nights with you all.”</p><p>“But you know how to find shelter, don’t you? And you work alone. Why do you want to manage it here?”</p><p>“Well, I—” the voice stammered. At that I chuckled... and they quickly went silent then into a whisper.</p><p>“Is one of them awake?”</p><p>“One of them was reading a story to another, but they told the other to go to bed. Last I checked, they should be asleep.”</p><p>That was directed at me, wasn’t it? I felt a little guilty.</p><p>From there I felt a bit sleepy again... and found myself back in my room and unable to access that part of my mind again.</p><p>The voices... what were those?</p><p>They were in the wall... and seemed to want to stay hidden.</p><p>Borrowers. They were real.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Will’s Perspective</strong>
</p><hr/><p>“Do we really need the antique clock, Mom? If we’re trying to get a new start here, the best thing we can do is get a <em>new</em> clock.”</p><p>“The grandfather clock we’re picking up is technically new, Will. We’ve never owned anything like this. Besides, it’s a good change of scenery, isn’t it?” Mom replied.</p><p>“This whole town is a change of scenery,” El spoke. At that comment I couldn’t help but snicker a little bit... then El glanced around nervously, like she was hiding something. For whatever reason, she was in a good mood this morning.</p><p>“Will? I have a secret.”</p><p>A secret? What about? Did she talk with Mike this morning about something embarrassing that happened back in Hawkins? A bit curious, I got up from my seat and walked over to hear the secret.</p><p>“Borrowers are real.”</p><p>At that I shook my head, and smiled.</p><p>“El, Dustin already proved they weren’t. Every time something goes missing, it’s either misplaced or somewhere else in the house.”</p><p>“No, Will, I heard them. Last night... talking. I used my powers.”</p><p>At this I raised my eyebrow. Was she messing with me? Not all of her powers were back. But to humor her, I decided to go along with whatever she was doing.</p><p>“Borrowers? As in those tiny people that live in the walls and under the floorboards?” Jonathan, raising an eyebrow after he set down his glass of orange juice. “I did that book for a book report back in elementary school...”</p><p>“So you know about them? You know they’re real?” El said, keeping her voice low.</p><p>“I don’t they are, El. But I like your enthusiasm about the book. How about you read on the way to the antique store? It’s a bit of a drive, so you’ll probably finish a couple chapters or two.”</p><p>At this El gave Jonathan a smile... then realized that just like in the book, the borrower characters lived under a grandfather clock. At that she kind of got more ecstatic... but I kind of felt sorry for her.</p><p>When I found out they weren’t real, I was heartbroken. It took a couple of D&amp;D sessions to put me in good spirits.</p><p>After the car ride, we’d managed to arrive back home with the clock and bringing it to the living room. The four of us worked together to set it up and get the time right... it was a surprise that the clock was actually functional.</p><p>The rest of the day was spent studying and working on homework for next Monday. But after a couple of hours, something began to feel off.</p><p>I... didn’t have my extra eraser. Getting up from my seat, I went to check if El had it, but she said she didn’t have it once I had gotten there.</p><p>About thirty minutes later, El turned out to have had my eraser, and returned it to me.</p><p>Then the complete opposite happened. El came to my room asking for her hairbrush, which I said I didn’t have. Moments later I found a hairbrush in one of my drawers, and El gave me a look once I returned it to her.</p><p>As you’d expect, this later built up into an argument—one that would continue into the next day.</p><hr/><p>
  <strong>El’s Perspective</strong>
</p><hr/><p>“Friends don’t lie,” I said, looking at Will with a glare.</p><p>“I swear, I’m not lying. I didn’t steal your chapstick. It just showed up in my room. Now I don’t wanna place the blame on you, but hasn’t some of my stuff shown up in your room too sometimes?”</p><p>“Yes... but I’m honest. I didn’t steal them either.”</p><p>“Then something’s up. We can’t be both telling the truth.”</p><p>“You don’t think it could be... Borrowers?”</p><p>“If they’re real.”</p><p>“They <em>are </em>real! I heard them!”</p><p>“Are you sure you’re not making excuses for losing stuff in my room?”</p><p>“I told you yesterday I heard them when I used my powers, Will. They are real.”</p><p>Jonathan walked in on the argument and crossed his arms.</p><p>“Look... let’s try to and not get in each other’s rooms, alright? Or take things without permission. You need to respect each other’s boundaries. Stealing is wrong... and you know that’s just a story. You two need to accept responsibility for the things you lose.”</p><p>Will looked up at his brother and nodded, but still had a frustrated and confused expression on his face... and so did I.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Will’s Perspective</strong>
</p><hr/><p>“I hate seeing you guys fight like this. I... this is my fault, really. I...”</p><p>“Who said that?”</p><p>“And here I am, making another mistake, by choosing to talk to you... I’m not allowed to do this.”</p><p>It was in the middle of the night... a school night.</p><p>“I’m... not supposed to be awake either.”</p><p>“Yeah, you’ve got school tomorrow, don’t you? You need to get up pretty early... but not as early as Dad.”</p><p>This voice. It was faint, and light, like a girl’s voice, with a bit of an accent. Maybe Scottish or British? And from what I could tell, it wasn’t in my head, like the Mind Flayer’s voice. It felt like it was right in this room... but who did it belong to?</p><p>“Well, you’ve already made yourself known. Where are you in here? Can I turn on the lights?”</p><p>“No. I’d... oh, what’s the point? You already know I’m here.”</p><p>As I got up and turned on the lights, I saw something on my desk... and quickly walked toward it, squinting my eyes. What I saw was someone who looked a lot like someone I knew... but like a tiny figure, about four inches tall, standing on my desk in what seemed to be clothes that were stitched together by hand. I couldn’t tell if this was a dream or not... but her face certainly looked familiar.</p><p>“Max?”</p><p>“...what? No. I’m Arrietty. I mean... no, I’m not Arrietty, godsakes, what’s the point... I’m Arrietty.”</p><p>“Arrietty... just like in the book.”</p><p>“And your name is...?”</p><p>“Will. Will Byers. Your last name wouldn’t happen to be Clock, would it?”</p><p>“It is.”</p><p>“Arrietty Clock... really just like the book. Am... am I dreaming?”</p><p>“You’d be better off dreaming and sleeping right now since you’ve got school tomorrow. Look. I just came to relay an apology on my behalf. I mixed up you and your sister’s things while I was out borrowing. I’m... a bit out of practice. So sorry to stir up that trouble between you two.”</p><p>“It’s fine. You did well on staying hidden for the most part... and she’s not my sister.”</p><p>“If she’s not your sister, what is she? As for staying hidden, that’s true, but I’m out in the open right now talking to a human bean. Kind of goes against borrower code. It’s... dangerous to talk to or even be seen by a human. Acknowledgement can have its consequences.”</p><p>“But you’re in a book... someone’s bound to have seen you guys. El’s my housemate. She lives with us because... it’s safer here than where we were before.”</p><p>“People don’t think we’re real if we stay hidden well enough, and most of us would prefer to keep it that way. And there can be more than one Arrietty Clock, can’t there? There are tons of beans that share the same name out there. How well can you keep a secret?”</p><p>“Well enough. I have my own secrets, anyway.”</p><p>“Don’t tell anyone that we’ve met. Pretend you  never saw me.”</p><p>“Okay.”</p><p>“But... I have a question. What makes this place so safe for your housemate? Doesn’t she have a family of her own? Why is she staying with you?”</p><p>“It’s a long story. It’d take the whole night. Besides... I don’t know if I’m allowed to tell you all the details.”</p><p>“I can keep a secret.”</p><p>“Can you?”</p><p>“Well, maybe not... what about it can you not tell me?”</p><p>“...You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”</p><p>“I suppose so. But a story’s a story. How about you write it down in a little journal?”</p><p>“I can do that. But can we both head to sleep?”</p><p>“That’s a good idea, I’d say. Get some rest, wake up early... leave the journal someplace in the room tomorrow. I’ll find it and read it, then maybe we can talk.”</p><p>“Shouldn’t we... not do that?”</p><p>“...Not if I don’t get caught. They’re asleep.”</p><p>“Okay. Uh... goodnight,” I spoke, as I walked back to my bed. Arrietty followed suit, disappearing from my vision and entering a hidden part of the wall.</p><hr/><p>
  <strong>Eleven’s Perspective</strong>
</p><hr/><p>As I sat quietly in bed, eyes closed, I could hear a very faint tapping in the walls. I was nearly falling asleep, but the noise kept me awake.</p><p>What was the source of it? Was it a borrower? Trying to drown out the noise, I took a deep breath and attempted to enter the void of my mindscape to get a better sense on what the sound might be and to stop it with my powers.</p><p>I couldn’t entirely focus—but I heard the sound stop, and a soft grunt. It sounded faint, like it was in my room. Then I opened my eyes, and saw something that made me gasp.</p><p>There was a tiny figure, about four inches tall, caught suspended in mid-air from a jump to my desk. My powers stopped him in place, but being surprised nearly caused me to drop him.</p><p>He was a borrower, clearly, looking at his messy clothes and equipment. When I walked over to grab him, I felt something painful in my hand, and winced.</p><p>In my arm I saw a sewing needle, and with a gentle pull I got it out.</p><p>“I won’t hurt you. Turn around...? I want to see you.”</p><p>The borrower didn’t respond for a moment... then took a deep breath and turned around. What I saw confused me a little bit. The borrower’s face... it looked just like Dustin, a friend of mine who had curly hair. Could it be him? Why was he a borrower?</p><p>“Dustin?”</p><p>“...Dustin? You got the first letter right, at least, but I’m afraid you have the wrong fellow, miss,” the borrower said with a deep sigh. “Now hurry along and let me get back to my business unless you want to get poked again.”</p><p>“You’re not Dustin. What is your name?”</p><p>“Spiller. Spud Spiller. Some blokes call me Dreadful Spiller though. Most call me by the former or latter though, never Spud. Now can I get going with business? I don’t appreciate being interrupted or seen... and... I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but you have a slight nosebleed there.”</p><p>“My powers... I stopped you with my powers. I  have tele... telekinesis.”</p><p>“Telekinesis? Blimey. How do I know for sure that you have that sort of ability, miss?”</p><p>In a matter of moments, I levitated Spiller over to my bedside dresser, allowing him to land gently, and wiped my nose.</p><p>“...You’re no ordinary bean, that’s for sure.”</p><p>“Bean?”</p><p>“Human, for better wording. You have a name?”</p><p>“Jane... but my friends call me El. Short for Eleven.”</p><p>“Eleven?”</p><p>Eleven rolled up her sleeve and showed her tattoo, marked 011. It seemed very faded and hard to see in the room’s lighting.</p><p>“...Interesting. Now I don’t mean to be rude, but I’m in a bit of a rush. I need to fix up a mess a friend of mine made, as well as get some other business done. You wouldn’t mind if I left would you?”</p><p>“...How soon?”</p><p>“Very soon, actually, but it could wait a little. Maybe about ten or five minutes or so.”</p><p>“Ok, but I have a question. Are you a borrower?”</p><p>“You know about us?”</p><p>El held up the book, and then looked to Spiller.</p><p>“I am a borrower—but I’m no kid’s plaything. None of us are, miss, if that’s what you’re after. We’re all living people just as much as you, and we need to make our living. And it’s better off that we stay secret. You got that, correct?”</p><p>Eleven nodded with a serious look on her face. As happy and bewildered she was with this chance meeting, she felt that Spiller was speaking the truth.</p><p>“Good. Any other questions?”</p><p>“You look a bit dirty.”</p><p>“I tend to work more outdoors than I do indoors. Rough weather’s to blame for the reason I am indoors.”</p><p>“Do you have any friends?”</p><p>“Yes. I’d tell you if I could, but they’d rather remain secret.”</p><p>“Is Will a thief?”</p><p>“I’d say that I’m the thief here as a borrower, but then again you blokes don’t need what we take. Will’s innocent. It’s a friend of mine who’s been mixing up their job as a borrower, not me. I’m trying to help keep them on track.”</p><p>“Is that why you’re in a rush?”</p><p>“Yeah. Didn’t want you beans to notice the mix-up. Keep all of this a secret, will you?”</p><p>“Ok.”</p><p>“Good. A bit odd to meet up like this, innit? Let’s try meeting up on better terms next time if you’re interested,” Spiller replied, who quickly vaulted off of my beside dresser and out of my sight.</p><p>But from how he behaved, he seemed to not mind company... but preferred to work on his own. He was smart, like Dustin, but a bit more wild. He had his own plan, his own responsibilities, his own problems.</p><p>Looking around, there was no sign of him—it was as if he were never here. With a yawn, I went to sleep.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Arrietty’s Perspective</strong>
</p><hr/><p>This family of human beans... or beings, as I should correct myself, is an odd one. The dad's absent. Mom's doing the hard work, providing and working outside of the house... and the older brother, Jonathan, is too. Will has a housemate named "Eleven," as in the number. But what the family has gone through is even stranger.</p><p>According to Will, the last few years have been chaotic and filled with supernatural events of all sorts. Monsters, parallel dimensions, mind control, girls with superpowers... I heard from Spiller himself that he ran into Eleven's powers and got discovered himself. But according to him, he's got enough confidence in El to be kept secret.</p><p>Wish I could the same about myself. I get a familiar feeling from Will, like that boy I met in the house we'd been in before we'd moved here. That sickly boy who helped provide for us by giving us furniture from the doll's house, teacups, things of all sorts. But something about Will also feels different. He feels a lot more grown-up than other kids his age. He's probably around fourteen, the same age as me, but... he's clearly been through a lot going from the stories he's told me. But we seem to get along well.</p><p>Dad called me over. He says Spiller's going out again to borrow from another building in town; he's going to hitch a ride over to the nearby high school. Supposedly there are certain things that aren't in this house that we might need, so I'll be back on standard borrowing work for the day.</p><p> </p><p>That's what I thought was going to be the plan, anyway. At the last moment, I was invited to come along on the borrowing trip.</p><p>"You'd do well there. This might be a two-person job, as it turns out."</p><p>"Wait, why?</p><p>"We're headed to the beans' school. Where else are we going to get graphing papers for maps? Where else are we gonna grab gum for adhesives? There's all sorts of things we could use there. Besides, you could learn a bit more from there than you have your encyclopedia and dictionary. And who knows? I could introduce you to some friends I know there."</p><p>"Friends?"</p><p>"O'course. There's other borrowers there, more so outdoor ones like me. Wild as we are, we're not completely <em>uneducated</em>."</p><p>"There are, not there is."</p><p>"I used a contraction."</p><p>"It's not correct."</p><p>"I'm not there for writing classes. So, what do you say?"</p><p>"I have to stay behind. Dad says I need to do double duty today with my borrowing."</p><p>"No worries. I can get one of my friends over there to come here and do your work for you."</p><p>I didn't exactly trust this idea, but Spiller seemed to know what he was doing.</p><p>"Are... are you sure?"</p><p>"Blokes might call me 'Dreadful' Spiller, Arrietty, but that usually applies to peoples' first impressions. You and the Clocks got into plenty of scrapes before, and pardon my French, but I saved your arses. The least you could do for me is help me out. Besides, don't you like seeing new places? Of course I'm sure about all of this. I planned it out all in advance," Spiller said, putting his hands on his hips as he looked beyond the shelf as Will and Eleven got ready for school in the distance.</p><p>It was hard to say no. He offered a convincing argument.</p><hr/><p>
  <strong>Spiller's Perspective</strong>
</p><hr/><p>To say I had this all planned out would be a bit of a lie.</p><p>No matter what, there'd always be something unexpected. But I lived for that sort of thrill. No one but God above would know what would happen on this outing. But I'd make sure I'd get everyone out alive and unseen.</p><p>Something about this family of beans... especially this "Eleven" lass, has my attention. It'd be worth it to see what sort of life they lead. What sort of day they went about.</p><p>"Have you ever been to high school, Arrietty?" I asked.</p><p>"No," she replied. It was a rather short response, but an expected one.</p><p>"Follow my lead until I say otherwise, alright?"</p><p> </p><p>Just as Eleven and the bowl-cut boy, Will, made their way outside, I tossed my grappling hook and latched onto the zipper of Will's pack... and zipped over, climbing inside with Arrietty holding on tight.</p><p>"It smells," Arrietty mouthed.</p><p>Taking a good whiff of the scent from within the pack, I made it out to simply be the boy's lunch. It wasn't that bad; it was likely the scent of the roast beef sandwich.</p><p>I rolled my eyes, throwing my grappling hook to Eleven's backpack and unzipping a portion close to where I'd be once we'd settled. The two of us were stowaways, hitching a ride from these two to a place beyond the place I'd found to be almost like a second home.</p>
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